Vet thinks it is FIP, we are not so sure

Hi,
Recently our family was adopted by a starving black stray in dreadful condition. We believe him to be about 15 years old. It is possible he was chased away from his home as we have discovered he has a thyroid problem.
This was discovered when we took him to a vet for a general check up when it was obvious he intended to stay. He was tested for just about everything and apart from the thyroid, malnutrition and a serious but probably repairable liver damage, he was fine. Xray showed the lungs were clear.
He had been with us about a week when on returning home one night we discovered Bagheera staggering all over the place and almost incapable of controlling his back legs. He was no better the following day and so we went back to the vet. It was noticed that his left pupil is considerable smaller than his right (but his sight is not affected) and both eyes were flicking from left to right. Antibiotics were given and we went back about a week later
and the flicking had gone although the imbalance in size remains to this day.
Because he was starved, he does tend to guzzle his food and often overeats to the point where he waddles. The vet felt this swollen stomach when combined with unidentified fever was probably a sign of FIP. However, he has not vomited, he does not have diahorrea, he responds to antibiotics and is slowly putting on weight and condition. His fat stomach goes down when he goes to the toilet but at the moment this is not very regular. He is, however, very lethargic, but could this be due to age and lack of strength due to the recent poor diet?
Our vet does not think it worthwhile testing for FIP as the results are so inconclusive. I should be interested to hear views from any members about what may be causing Bagheera's condition and any suggestions you may offer to help improve his health.

Thanks,
Michael

This, unfortunately, could definitely be FIP. In addition to what you mentioned, the poor motor control in his back legs and nystagmus (uncoordinated eye movements) both point to problems with the cerebellum, and FIP loves to attack the cerebellum.

I have heard that steroids can improve their quality of life considerably. If it is FIP, there is nothing you can do to cure it, but you can treat symptoms and give him a good life for the time he has left.

Originally Posted by vegansoprano

....
If it is FIP, there is nothing you can do to cure it, but you can treat symptoms and give him a good life for the time he has left.

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oh dear! michael, my heart goes out to you in this situation and I wholeheartedly agree with what is said above here....it's a very personal decision and 15 is a long life, yet you are compassionate and brave to want to make it better. Speaking from experience with the enigmatic FIP disease...it will look a little different cat to cat, but the underlying elements are there. If it were me and I really wanted to know so I could decide....I would run some tests. The lethargy might also be Feline Leukemia, FeLV, which onset is quite evident in a snap test, after the immune system has been compromised, but what is making me side with FIP is the protrusion of his tummy. Keep us posted if you can....

Thanks to Vegansoprano and sashacat for your quick responses. Interestingly the nystagmus has vanished completely and control of the back legs has improved (except when he is constipated!). His tummy returns to normal when he is not constipated and so he only seems to have a swollen tummy every second or third day. FeLV test was done and proved negative. Today Bagheera is having a good day and is eating well. He is so intersted in food he keeps camping out by the refridgerator. I shall mention to the vet the idea of steroids as Bagheera is to go for yet another check up on Thursday.
Thanks again
Michael

Originally Posted by bagheera

Thanks to Vegansoprano and sashcat for your quick responses. Interestingly the nystagmus has vanished completely and control of the back legs has improved (except when he is constipated!). His tummy returns to normal when he is not constipated and so he only seems to have a swollen tummy every second or third day. FeLV test was done and proved negative. Today Bagheera is having a good day and is eating well. He is so intersted in food he keeps camping out by the refridgerator. I shall mention to the vet the idea of steroids as he is to go for yet another check up on Thursday.
Thanks again
Michael

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This is the best news I've heard all day! WOW! I will continue to pray for your little one until all is well.

Michael, do keep us posted about Bagheera!

Lost my precious Fafa earlier this month to wet type FIP, I must say, if you have lab testing for coronavirus, it would be best to have him tested just to make sure. If he has swollen belly, lab test for the fluid can be done to assess if he has FIP. FIP is a terrible disease, and it's really sad that cats who get it have almost 0 chances of making it. I'm hoping your Bagheera doesn't have it. Let us know of any new news!

Sincerely,
Steph

Hi Steph,
Bagheera is being checked by out vet on average once a week and seems to be doing well. Although no coronavirus test done (vet thinks it too innaccurate to be worthwhile), he certainlydoesn't have the wet type FIP. At present he seems to be holding his own and to some extent progressing towards better health, current problems revolve around constipation and a passion for eating cat litter!

Cheers
Michael

Originally Posted by bagheera

Although no coronavirus test done (vet thinks it too innaccurate to be worthwhile), he certainlydoesn't have the wet type FIP. At present he seems to be holding his own and to some extent progressing towards better health, current problems revolve around constipation and a passion for eating cat litter!

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Yup coronavirus testing can be misleading, but it does give you an idea if Bagheera was exposed to corona, hmm, on the other hand, most cats have corona. Anyway, I'm happy to hear Bagheera is doing well, make sure you check him a lot, and eating cat litter --> maybe he's anemic?? It's called pica syndrome, good to check w/ the vet about that.

Here's a website which is pretty helpful for FIP+ cat owners, maybe you'd want to check it out: http://www.dr-addie.com

~Steph

Thanks to everyone who responded to my query,
Sadly I have to inform you all that on Wednesday morning we found Bagheera to be much worse. Oddly when we took him to the vet he felt he was greatly improved! We returned home but Bgaheera would eat only with mcuh coaxing.
Thursday morning found Bagheera in a state of collapse beside his litter tray and very cold because of the tiled floor. We warmed him up and again tried to persuade him to eat without success. Later that afternoon he was showing no improvement and so we booked him in with another vet for a second opinion.
The new vet very quickly diagnosed Bagheera as having massive liver tumours and we had no option but to relieve his distress. Naturally we are all very sad.
We do not intend to get another cat at present as we are hoping to move and so took his unused food and treats to the Cats Protection (League). Whilst there we found they are recruiting "Cat Cuddlers". These are volunteers who work with rescue/abandoned and badly treated cats and help them get used to being with humans again. This allows my kids still to enjoy being with cats and will teach them new aspects of animal care and help relieve some of the pain of losing Bagheera after so few weeks.
Once again thanks to you all.
Michael

Oh I am so sorry for you all, it is such a sad outcome. But you did all you could, and he is at peace. The 'cat comforters' scheme sounds a great idea, and I hope that one day you are able to welcome a permanent cat into your household again.

I'm sorry to hear about that Michael, I know Bagheera will have lots of fun over at the Bridge with a lot of kitty friends. Helping fostering is a great! I'm happy to hear your kids love the idea - I like kids who respect animal life.